


Kiss Me Again, You Old Fool

by BroomballKraken



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Ambiguous Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:49:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29299941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BroomballKraken/pseuds/BroomballKraken
Summary: Manuela is struggling with the emotional impact that the battle at Gronder had on her. She finds comfort in what others would call an unlikely source, but to Manuela, she could think of no one else she would want to help her through this difficult time.
Relationships: Manuela Casagranda/Hanneman von Essar
Comments: 12
Kudos: 20





	Kiss Me Again, You Old Fool

It was a brisk, quiet night at Garrag Mach, but the cold winds of early spring could not compare to the icy chill that had settled deep within Manuela’s heart. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she wandered aimlessly through the monastery grounds, with no clear destination in mind.

A few days had passed since they had returned from their most recent march, but the horrors that Manuela had witnessed during the battle at Gronder still haunted her. She was expecting to have another sleepless night, and she thought that it would be better spent moving about outside instead of tossing and turning uselessly on her bed. The extra movement didn’t do much to distract her from her dour thoughts, however.

After wandering for a while, Manuela found herself at the fishing pond, standing at the edge of the dock. Kneeling down on the cold, damp wood, she stared at her tired reflection in the water. As the head physician for the Officer’s Academy, Manuela had seen her fair share of nasty injuries, but had managed to heal most without much difficulty. What she had witnessed at Gronder, however, was an entirely different beast.

Manuela slowly lowered a hand towards the water, her fingers twitching as she dipped them into the chilly pond. She pulled her hand back out, her eyes following the droplets of water as they rolled off of her skin.

She was suddenly back on the battlefield. Her hands were dyed crimson with the blood of a dying soldier, who pleaded with her to save him with his final breath. Screams pierced through the sounds of weapons clashing and magic bombarding the battlefield. The sickening smell of blood filled her nostrils, and the taste of bile rose up in her throat as she tried to keep herself from vomiting. War was a special kind of horror that Manuela had never experienced before, and this particular experience was one that she would have rather gone without. So much pointless death, and so many beautiful lives cut short…

The feeling of moisture on her face snapped her back to reality, and Manuela took a few shaky breaths to try and stop the tears from flowing down her face. It was a wasted effort, and she held her head in her hands, her breath catching in her throat as she tried to control her sobbing.

She didn’t know how much more of this she could take. What if the next battle was worse? Every life lost under her care made her feel more hollow inside, and she was afraid that by the end of this war, she would be left a shell of her former self.

“Manuela.”

A familiar voice hit her ears, pulling Manuela from her dark thoughts. She swallowed thickly and wiped her arm over her face, trying to clear away her tears. She glanced over her shoulder with narrowed eyes to find Hanneman standing in the middle of the dock.

“What are you doing here?” Manuela blurted out, her tone a bit more harsh than she had intended; being caught in this vulnerable position was incredibly embarrassing.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Hanneman said, moving to stand next to her, “I would have thought that you’d be drinking away your sorrows by now.”

Manuela pursed her lips and turned her head away from him. “How incredibly rude, Hanneman. Although, I really shouldn’t expect anything less from you at this point.”

“I...I’m sorry.” Manuela looked back at him with a confused eyebrow raised as she watched him fuss with his monocle. “I, er, meant that as a joke, to maybe help lighten the mood.” Manuela rolled her eyes. Hanneman was always the best at saying the wrong things at the wrong times, but nonetheless she found a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips.

“Well, it didn’t quite work, but...thank you for trying.”

“Er, yes, well…” An actual smile spread across Manuela’s face as she watched a light blush settle upon his cheeks. “May I sit down?”

Manuela hesitated only for a moment before nodding her head slightly, and Hanneman sat down cross-legged beside her. They may have a reputation for fighting like cats and dogs, but to be honest, Manuela regarded Hanneman as one of her closest friends and confidants.

To any outside observer, Manuela’s relationship with Hanneman would probably be described as tolerating each other at best, and open hostility at worst. That was a good description of their relationship during their first six years of teaching at Garrag Mach together. It always seemed like they couldn’t have a normal conversation without ending up at each other’s throats for one reason or another, and Manuela didn’t think that would ever change.

She had been wrong about that, however. The school year before the start of the war had been a hectic one, to put things lightly, if her brush with death after confronting Jeritza for kidnapping Flayn and her reckless encounter with the bandits she had mistaken for the Death Knight were anything to go by. Hanneman had been a key part in saving her from both of those situations, and Manuela was surprised each time by how worried he had been about her well being.

Manuela wasn’t one to leave a debt unpaid, so to thank Hanneman for saving her life twice, she decided to make him some warm, homemade meals when she found him working late into the night. On one of those nights, she had finally asked him why he worked so hard studying crests, and his answer had surprised her. He didn’t want anyone else to suffer like his late sister had, so Hanneman had dedicated his life to finding a way for anyone to obtain a crest. Manuela thought that it was a wonderful goal, and after that night, the hostility that they normally showed each other lessened considerably.

“Manuela?”

She was pulled from her thoughts when Hanneman’s voice hit her ears again, and she turned to find him staring at her, his head tilted slightly to one side.

“Er, sorry, did you say something?”

“Yes. I was just wondering if you needed someone to talk to,” he said, his brow furrowing slightly, “You seem rather distressed about something.”

Manuela snorted and turned up her nose. “Oh? What was your first clue? The crying? Or the fact that I’m out at the fish pond of all places in the dead of night?”

His eyes narrowed into a glare. “If you do not want me here, I can leave. I am just concerned about you. You have seemed a bit distant since we returned from Gronder.” Manuela locked eyes with him for a moment before she sighed and averted her gaze.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you, Hanneman. This war is just...taking quite a toll on me.”

Hanneman’s gaze softened and he nodded. “...I know what you mean. If you need someone to listen to your troubles, I am here for you.”

Manuela let out a chuckle and her gaze drifted to the pond. It was an odd thing to admit, given their constant bickering, but Manuela always felt at ease enough to let her guard down in front of Hanneman and tell him anything. It was something that she had missed greatly over these past five years.

During those long years away from the monastery, she and Hanneman had been separated as they were assigned to different groups to search for Rhea. That time had been rough, and had left Manuela with a hollow, lonely feeling in her chest. At first, she had attributed that to the dangerous travels across Fódlan, as well as being ripped away from her life as a professor that she had grown so fond of.

However, the real reason became clear to her when she returned to Garrag Mach, on the day when the millennium festival would have taken place. Seeing most of her former students and fellow faculty members helped to fill the hole in her heart, but when she spotted that familiar gray coat, distinctive facial hair, and silly monocle, Manuela had sprinted right up to Hanneman.

With a firm smack to his arm, she had berated him for not trying to contact her all this time - even though she had been moving around so much that it wouldn’t have been possible anyway - and he retorted by saying that she should have contacted him first if she felt so strongly about it. They fell into their familiar bickering, except that all hostility that had been present in the past had been replaced with a teasing, friendly warmth. The lonely feelings that had been festering within Manuela all those years had dissipated immediately, and were replaced by something...indescribable. That’s what she had told herself, anyway.

Oh, but she knew. She knew _exactly_ what this feeling was, but she was too stubborn to admit that she felt this way about _Hanneman_ of all people. The man who had been by her side through some of the hardest moments in her life, and whose comforting embrace she had longed for the entire time that they had been apart.

Manuela could no longer deny the fact that she was in love with Hanneman.

It was funny really, how she had always lamented about being unable to find the man of her dreams, when he had been right by her side for such a long time. She had been blinded for too long by their constant bickering to see what a wonderful man he was. He was proving it right now, sitting next to her on a wet dock late at night, foregoing sleep to lend an ear to help with what was troubling her.

Manuela swallowed thickly and took in a deep, shaky breath, letting it out slowly to try and relieve the tightness in her chest. She turned her gaze back to Hanneman and finally spoke.

“I…I don’t know how much more of this horrible war I can take. Watching so many people die, including our former students, while being powerless to help some of them survive despite my best efforts. I can’t even imagine what I’d do if I met any of them as enemies on the battlefield…” She paused as she tried to choke down a sob, her eyes squeezing shut as a few tears escaped and ran down her cheeks.

“I wish I didn’t have such a bleeding heart, maybe...maybe then this would be much easier to deal with.” Manuela took a few deep breaths to try and compose herself, and when that didn’t work, she covered her face with her hands, succumbing to her sadness as she broke down crying. A sudden warmth descended upon her, reminding her that she was not sitting here alone.

Hanneman had draped his coat over her shoulders, and the sweet gesture only made her tears fall harder. Manuela threw herself into Hanneman’s arms, ignoring his startled grunt as she curled up in his lap and buried her face into his chest. She felt his arms slip around her and he pulled her closer, and just being held like this was enough to ease the pain in her heart, if only slightly.

“You know very well that is not true, Manuela. I imagine that killing does not come naturally to a dedicated, kindhearted physician such as yourself,” Hanneman said, his voice low and calm as he ran a comforting hand over her back, “And if you did remove your bleeding heart, you would be removing one of the best things about you.”

Manuela’s eyes widened at his words, and she sniffed as she looked up at him, her eyes red and cheeks stained with tears. Hanneman reached under his coat and plucked a handkerchief out of the chest pocket of his shirt, using it to gently dab away the tears left on her face. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming herself enough to muster a reply.

“How do you do it, Hanneman? How do you keep going when everything is burning up around you?” Manuela asked softly. He always seemed so composed, even when in the midst of battle, where he would wreak havoc with his effortlessly casted spells. She couldn’t help but envy his apparent ability to steel himself from letting the horrors of war consume him.

Hanneman didn’t answer her question right away. His eyes drifted from hers and she watched his gaze wander up to the star-filled sky. Manuela was captivated by the way the moon bathed his face in light, accentuating his sharp facial features and adding a brilliant shine to his beautiful blue eyes. He really was a handsome man, and the thought brought a light blush to Manuela’s cheeks.

“It is...hard to keep fighting some days, I must admit,” Hanneman said, turning his gaze back to Manuela, “War is terrible, and a drain on everyone’s physical and mental well being However, I do believe that winning this war will change Fódlan for the better, so I will keep on fighting the best that I can.”

“And…” He paused and closed his eyes, letting out a deep, wavering sigh. “...I cannot hope to change the system that killed my sister if the war is lost.” Manuela’s heart clenched at that; Hanneman’s mood always seemed to sour whenever he mentioned his sister. She couldn’t blame him, though. How awful it must have been, to watch a cherished family member suffer because of her lack of crest.

“I know that I couldn’t protect her, that I failed her,” Hanneman continued, and Manuela felt his hand clench into a fist against her arm, “That is why I will continue to fight, and to conduct my research, so that no one else will have to suffer as she did.”

A small smile crept it’s way over Manuela’s face. She really had fallen in love with a wonderful man. She lifted her hands to cup his face, gently turning his head so that he was looking at her again, his eyes wide and a confused eyebrow raised.

“You’re a good man, Hanneman,” Manuela said, her smile growing wider when his face flushed pink, “I...I really think you’re sister would be damn proud of you.”

Hanneman stared at her for a moment, before he chuckled and placed a hand over one of hers. “I do hope you’re right. Thank you.”

Manuela shook her head. “Really, I should be the one thanking you.” His words had lit a fire within her. She wasn’t going to let this war break her spirit anymore than it already had. She would fight, she would heal, and she would make it through this war to see peace in Fódlan again, and she would do so with Hanneman by her side.

“Okay! I’ve decided then,” Manuela declared, smacking her fist into her other hand, “I’m not going to let anyone else die under my care until we win this godsdamn war! We’ll make it through this, together. So don’t you go dying on me, or I’ll never forgive you!”

Hanneman let out a chuckle and nodded. “Of course. That goes double for you, then. My life would certainly be much less interesting without you in it.”

“Ugh, that’s so cheesy.”

“Excuse me, _you_ started this.”

Manuela giggled at the pout that had crossed Hanneman’s face, and she wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against him. She felt him tense up a bit, but he slowly relaxed and his hand fell unto her head. He seemed to be hesitating a bit, but when she didn’t protest, he slowly brushed his fingers through her hair.

A smile crossed Manuela’s face, and she sighed, finally feeling the weight of her sorrows lifting a bit. “Yeah, yeah.” She turned her head and looked up, her eyes meeting his again. “Thank you, Hanneman, for everything. You really are important to me, you know.” That was a bit of an understatement, if the longing that had settled deep in her heart was anything to go by, and she felt her cheeks heat up when Hanneman smiled at her.

“I am glad to hear you say that, Manuela. You are very important to me as well, despite all of the bickering we seem to do.”

“Oh, it’s all in good fun at this point, right?”

“Heh, indeed.”

A comfortable silence fell over them for a while, but was broken when Manuela shifted against Hanneman as she reached into her cloak. A mischievous grin crossed her face, and Hanneman raised an eyebrow when she pulled out a bottle of wine.

“Want to drown your sorrows with me?” Hanneman stared at her for a moment, before he burst out laughing, causing a familiar warmth to blossom within Manuela’s chest.

“So you _were_ planning on drinking tonight. And you chastised me for saying so!”

“It’s still rude to assume those things, even if they’re true.” Manuela ignored the eye roll that Hanneman directed at her as she popped the cork off of the bottle and took a generous swig. She offered the bottle to him, and Hanneman smiled as he accepted it.

“You do have a point, I suppose,” he said, pausing to take a drink, “Cheers, to a swift end to this horrid war?” Manuela grinned and nodded when she took the bottle back.

“Gods yes! I’ll happily drink to that.”

They passed the bottle between them until it was empty, and before Manuela drifted off to sleep under the stars, snuggled up comfortably against Hanneman’s chest, her heart in a much better state than it had been in a long, long time.

\---

The sounds of birds chirping roused Manuela from her slumber, and she yawned as she rubbed at her bleary eyes. It was bright, too bright, and she wondered if she had left a candle lit in her room. She tried to stretch her arms out, but found it hard to move due to the pair of arms wrapped around her. But...she did not recall inviting anyone to bed with her last night...

“Huh?!?” Manuela’s eyes shot open as instinct kicked in, and she flailed her arms against the unknown person holding her. She heard them let out a surprised yelp, and she took the opportunity to push them hard with both hands.

“M-Manuela, what-Ah!”

A loud splash hit her ears, and Manuela quickly rubbed the rest of the sleep from her eyes. She finally was able to focus on her surroundings, and was surprised to find that she was not in her room, but rather sitting on the dock at the fishing pond. Her memories from the night before suddenly came back to her, and her eyes drifted to the angry, red-faced Hanneman glaring at her from the water.

“W-What is the meaning of this?” he exclaimed, and Manuela stared blankly at him for a moment, before bursting out laughing so hard that tears started falling down her face.

“Why you…”

Manuela barely heard Hanneman’s angry mumbling, and that proved to be a costly mistake. Hanneman’s hand suddenly shot up and grabbed her by the arm, and Manuela let out a shriek when he roughly yanked her off of the dock. She hit the cold water hard, and she quickly resurfaced to find Hanneman still in the water next to her, trying and failing to stifle his laughter. Manuela pouted at him, her eyes narrowing into a heated glare.

“Hanneman, you fucking jerk!” Manuela yelled as she splashed water at him, “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Hanneman pursed his lips together and splashed her in retaliation. “ _Me_? You pushed me off of the dock first!”

“So? Maybe you should have taken the high ground this time! You know, forgive and forget?”

“Oh, what utter nonsense!”

Their arguing continued as their water fight raged on, but soon their bickering dissolved into uncontrollable laughter. Manuela had to grab Hanneman’s shoulders to keep herself afloat, as her laughing fit had her shaking too much to tread water properly. When they finally composed themselves, Hanneman sighed and shook his head, but a smile remained on his face.

“Well, this is certainly not how I expected to wake up this morning,” he said, another small chuckle escaping him, “You are always full of surprises, Manuela.”

“Oh, am I?” A sly grin crossed Manuela’s face, and before Hanneman could respond, she decided to surprise him once more by pressing her lips softly against his. The startled noise that he made caused Manuela to smile against his lips, but it was her turn to be surprised when he did not pull away and outright reject her bold advance.

Instead, Hanneman’s hands moved up to cup her face, and Manuela watched as his eyes slowly slipped shut. She soon followed suit, and he gently tilted her head so that he could deepen the kiss. The hairs of his mustache tickled her nose, causing her to giggle, and Manuela was kicking herself for not doing this sooner. What utter bliss it was, to finally kiss the man that she had loved for so long, and the warmth that filled her heart in this moment was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

When they finally parted, Manuela took a moment to admire the completely flabbergasted look on Hanneman’s face. It was a very rare look on him, and she couldn’t help but tease him a bit.

“Well? How was that for a surprise?”

He took a moment to muster up a reply, and the stuttering mess of it caused Manuela to giggle again. “T-That was...indeed quite, ahem, unexpected...But not at all, ah, unpleasant, mind you.”

A sly grin crossed Manuela’s face, and she pulled Hanneman closer so that their noses were almost touching. “So, you enjoyed it then?”

Manuela watched him, amused at the fact that Hanneman’s face had somehow turned an even darker shade of red. His mouth opened and closed a few times like a fish out of water, which was funny considering the fact that they were currently in the fishing pond.

“Of course I enjoyed it. I’ve...been wanting to do that for some time now, actually.”

It was Manuela’s turn to be surprised, and her eyes widened at his words. She never would have thought that he would have ever felt the same way about her, and she had never been more happy to be wrong about something.

“Manuela, I...The truth is, ah…” Manuela watched as Hanneman cursed under his breath, and she was relishing in this rare opportunity to see the normally articulate scholar completely and utterly flustered. “Gods! I cannot seem to find the right words to-”

“Words can wait,” Manuela interrupted, twirling a finger in Hanneman’s mustache, before gently tugging him closer, “Just kiss me again, you old fool.”

Hanneman chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against him. “I suppose you’re right, even if that jab at my age _was_ uncalled for.” Manuela’s laughter was cut short when he kissed her again, and again, in the middle of the _fishing pond_ of all places, but right now, Manuela wouldn’t change a damn thing.


End file.
